Title: Out in the Field
Author Name & Publisher: Kate McMurray (Dreamspinner Press)
Publication Date & Length: May 16, 2016 – 254 pgs
2nd Edition
Matt Blanco is a legend on the Brooklyn Eagles, but time and injuries have taken their toll. With his career nearing its end, he’s almost made it to retirement without anyone learning his biggest secret: he’s gay in a profession not particularly known for its tolerance.
Iggy Rodriquez is the hot new rookie in town, landing a position in the starting lineup of the team of his dreams and playing alongside his idol, Matt Blanco. Iggy doesn’t think it can get any better, until an unexpected encounter in the locker room with Matt proves him wrong.
A relationship—and everything it could reveal—has never been in the cards for Matt, but Iggy has him rethinking his priorities. They fall hard for each other, struggling to make it through trades, endorsement deals, and the threat of retirement. Ultimately they will be faced with a choice: love or baseball?
First Edition published by Loose Id LLC, 2012.
I really loved this wonderful story. I’ve never really been much for baseball (hockey is my favorite sport) but I’m always a sucker for hot men in any sport. I love how the author brings them together and bring them out to the world. This author clear brought out everything from a gay man in the closet to baseball and most if all age difference. Yet the book did not seem long or drawn out and that is great in itself. Sometimes the book get caught up in the sport itself and the original story suffers. This was not the case in this book. This was an excellent balance between love and the sport of baseball. This was a great job by Kate McMurray.This in my opinion is a book about finally having the courage to stand up for what you believe in. It should not matter if a player is gay or not but that sometimes is just not the reality because of fear of coming out.
Once Matt retires and decides to finally come clean about his sexual status due to wanting to live in the open and no longer lie about it, it changes things for Iggy and gives him the courage to do the same even though he is still an active player. These two men love each other so much. They encourage one another to follow their dreams and desires regardless of what others may think. They stand behind one another’s decisions and they lend each other support when the other needs it. Most of all they do not let negativity in the world come between them, they do the opposite and give each other strengths and love.
This was a very good read and I enjoyed every bit of it. It is a very inspirational story and I only hope others enjoy it as much as I did.
This was a very sweet read. I loved how Iggy and Matt were surrounded by people who supported them.
Iggy is a great ball player – he’s dedicated, hard working and loves the game. But, because he’s a rookie, he only knows how it is to be closeted while playing out of the spot light. He is both naive and lucky that he has been able to stay out of the spot light as long as he has. His best friend is amazing! I loved how fiercely he stood up for Iggy. I also loved the snippets throughout the story that he wrote. I thought that it helped a ton with the plot of the story.
Then you have Matt. He was somewhat surly, a great player, but in the off season of his career. He has great insight in to the sport and also develops in to a great mentor for Iggy. Well, more than a mentor, but it begins with good intentions.
They have a sweet romance that is picture perfect until it isn’t. I love that they are able to find common ground, but have to work through their issues when it comes to how they navigate their relationship. The real world is far from their enclosed vacuum they have created their relationship in.
The plot is wonderful and the resolutions are just as satisfying. I really do love McMurray’s ability to bring the reader through the story.
~AvidReader
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Kate McMurray is a nonfiction editor. Also, she is crafty (mostly knitting and sewing, but she also wields power tools), she plays the violin, and she dabbles in various other pursuits. She’s maybe a tiny bit obsessed with baseball. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with a presumptuous cat.
